April 21, 2016 (Gephardt Daily) – Has your garage become the dumping ground for old furniture, outdated cleaning supplies, and any other tool or gadget you weren’t using over the winter months?
You are not alone but it is time for homeowners to unite and clear the clutter. Soon, the garage will be a summer gathering space to launch yard projects, fix bikes, and pack up cars for trips and outings.
There’s an expert to help you get started. Jeni Aron, owner of Clutter Cowgirl suggests using the following checklist to clear and organize quickly:
PURGE! If there are any cleaning supplies, old furniture or tools that you are not using, they should be sent to the curb for bulk pick-up or regular garbage collection. This often clears up to 20 percent of the clutter in an average garage.
Categorize your items. Physically place items where you want to store them in groups. For instance, all cleaners and liquids can go onto one open shelving unit. If you have a variety of mismatched units, try to find taller shelving that consolidates storage and makes use of your wall heights. Clear plastic tubs work well to store supplies that you need to see and grab on a regular basis.
Install wall mounted shelving and peg board. This is best done near a worktable area so tools, screws, etc. are easy to access.
Mount a ceiling unit. This can be used to store smaller furniture pieces, luggage, and any other items you don’t use on a regular basis. The idea here is to create more floor space for the items you will need daily, especially in the summer. Of course, you can hang bikes off the railing of the ceiling units so they won’t be on the floor either.
Break down boxes. If you think you’ll need some big boxes in the future, like the box you got a new TV or printer in, then break them down and put them in an overhead unit as well.
Once this clutter clearing list has been checked off then you might want to haul a few big but reusable items to a donation center. You might even find an item or two to sell at a local garage sale or flea market.
Now, it’s time to use all those summer recreational toys and lawn care tools…when the weather permits it.
